Biz

We had a show last Sunday night during the Grammys, but it was impossible to avoid all the commotion on-line. The big categories featured a lot of talent/quality, clear evidence that the voters still know what’s good without thinking too hard. Artists like Adele, The…

2011 was a crazy and amazing year for the Infamous Stringdusters. But it’s over, and the door to 2012 is flying open right in front of our eyes. Incredible things are happening. Here’s a bit about what’s up next, and why. We are a five…

Thanks to Joe Kendrick for having me on WNCW to talk about Bluegrass, the Stringdusters, etc. The program, What It Is Radio, just went up on-line. Check out the stream here. Joe has other noteworthy endeavors that you should check out, including Lingua Musica Live,…

I was the guest on Lightning 100’s Music Business Radio program a few weeks back, and the edited show just went up. It was a real treat to visit David Hooper and co. after having heard them a handful times during my Nashville tenure. We…

I’d love to take a few days off after the IBMA madness but it’s not looking good. The Stringdusters are gearing up for the second annual Festy Experience this weekend. Our amazing team is putting the finishing touches on this magical event. Check out the…

Why would someone who loves traditional music fear for its survival? If you love a form of music, doesn’t that imply that you believe in it? It’s ironic that someone might think traditional music is superior, but that it’s also in danger, and in need…

San Francisco will always feel like a second home to me after living there for almost a year in 1999. It’s an amazing display of progressive arts/culture/energy, combined with a natural beauty that is as inspiring as any. I took a year off from Dartmouth…

The IBMA has asked me to give a keynote address at the annual business conference this fall in Nashville (Tuesday, Sept 27th, 10:30 AM). Thanks IBMA, for such an amazing opportunity! There’s been much talk this year about the current state of Bluegrass affairs–a rekindling…

And the Nominees are… A few weeks ago I pondered the concept of music associations, most of which have at least two things in common: membership dues and an awards show. For the IBMA, the awards are clearly a big deal, drawing most of the…

The Festy is right around the corner, and we, The Infamous Stringdusters, could not be more pumped. We learned a lot the first time around (and had an amazing time in the process). This year we are honing in the three pillars of the…

Lately I’ve been wondering what ‘music associations’ are all about. Who joins? Why? What’s a music assoc trying to do? How do they get it done? And what types of music have one? Today’s NY Times has an interesting article about the mariachi music scene…

Spotify seems like a glipse into the future, and it’s already here. Check out this great article about the growing service. App-based computing simple/functional enough that people will pay, and artist compensation based on number of plays. Label cooperation? Sounds too good to be true….

Finally, somebody tells it like it is in print (in a place that matters). Peter Cooper has a genius article in today’s Tennessean that sheds some light on just how contrived today’s iteration of ‘country music’ can be. The sad part is that it still…